Nintendo Games That Don't Get Old

Everyone I know seems to be buying new gaming systems but here I am as a new college graduate. I would love to upgrade to a Nintendo Switch immediately. Instead, I’m preparing to start paying back student loans. As a result, I guess I’m going to stick with my Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 3DS. That being said, I have no issue playing nostalgic games from my childhood, teenage, and college years. So while all of you are out there playing your Nintendo Switch or PS5 or whatever XBox has right now, I’ll be over here playing some of these games that never get old.

Super Smash Brothers

I don’t care which edition of the game you’re playing, this is the mash-up game we never knew we needed. I love the original for its nostalgia and classic one-player mode. Melee has possibly the best adventure mode (plus Mewtwo). And Brawl had a solid story mode, which I was addicted to. This game is basically created for the replay value. Every combination of players, characters, and stage makes this game brand new.

Super Mario 64

The first time I played Super Mario 64 was probably at a friend’s house as a kid. However, as a one-player game, I don’t know how much I actually played it. I must have played it enough though, because as an adult it was one of my first purchases on Wii’s virtual console. The graphics may be outdated, but they’re nostalgic. And the replay value is high, because how often do you actually collect all the stars? There’s always more to do!

Mario Kart 64

The other Mario Kart games could go on here too, but the N64 version has a special place in my heart. Nothing crazy or complicated about it. You pick your players, you pick your mode, and you pick a stage. Just a race or battle. And there’s just something so visually appealing as the battle mode with the four colored towers (and nothing more satisfying than sniping out other players on the top of those towers).

Mario Party

I’m most familiar with Mario Party on the Nintendo 64, and the concept is solid. Get some friends together, play a “board game”, and play some mini games. Every game is an adventure and never will you get the same result from two different matches. So let’s keep on playing éuntil the system burns out.

Pokémon

The format of the mainstream Pokémon games hasn’t really changed. You have a starter Pokémon, Pokéballs, Gym leaders (or Island Trials in Sun/Moon), and the Elite Four. I haven’t played Sword/Shield yet, but once I have a Switch you can bet I’m buying Sword. Even if you pick the same starter every time, the game is always different. That means infinite replay value! Also, there are seemingly infinite numbers of fan made ways of playing the game (I tried my first couple Nuzzlockes in 2020 and I definitely failed).

Pokémon Snap

A few weeks ago Joe talked about the Nintendo 64 game, as we wait for the Switch version. Even with a limited number of Pokémon in it, the game is always an adventure. You know when the Zubat is coming, but you still have to time it just right. And even then, you can always try to best your score until you have the perfect shot. Honestly I’m not even sure the new Snap will be able to stand up to the nostalgia of the original game.

Pokémon Stadium

After the N64, these games were replaced by Colosseum and Gale of Darkness (which is a shame), but the first two Stadium games were tons of fun. Even if you didn’t have a Gameboy game to pair it with, you could have a fun Pokémon battle with a friend or the Gym Leaders using the free Pokémon. Or if you weren’t in the mood for a battle, there were always the mini-games. I couldn’t get enough of the Lickitung and Metapod games. Always good for a party. Dang… now I want to play this again.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

This is one of the hidden gems of the Pokémon franchise. You’re a human turned into a Pokémon. You and your Pokémon friends fight to figure out what’s going wrong in the Pokémon world. Instead of catching Pokémon, you grow your “Pokédex” by befriending other Pokémon. As a result, you can’t always control who you “catch”. So every game is different. Heck, even the same floor is different on two different attempts. 

So while I wait to have enough money to buy a Switch (and a house and whatever else adults have to buy) I’m going to keep enjoying my Nintendo 3DS… at least while my daughter naps.